I
wonder how many Wade collectors there are world wide? The Wade
Collectors Club have some 10,000 members but there are a significant
number more who are not affiliated to any organization but do still,
collect Wade. They can be seen ferreting out pieces at car boot sales,
flee markets, collectors fairs and the like.

A lot of the interest in collecting Wade is the pursuit, searching out
those elusive little figures to make up a set or series. At the other
end of the scale are the limited edition figurines which, if purchased
wisely, are an excellent investment, better than a savings account!

One branch of Wade collecting which, in the past, has rather taken a
rear seat is Irish Wade. Collectables produced in the Burslem factories
have always been more popular generally than those which came from the
Irish factory. What some collectors are unaware of is that a great deal
of Wade marked "England" was, in fact, produced in Ireland. In 1946,
George Wade asked his eldest daughter Iris and her husband Henry Straker
Carryer to oversee a new factory in Portadown, Northern Ireland.
Recently, Iris Carryer told me the story herself.

" In England, just after World War II , pressure was brought to bear on
manufacturers to start new industries in areas of the United Kingdom
that were described as "depressed." That was where unemployment was
high. My husband and I had already made plans to leave the UK for a new
life in California and my husband already had a job lined up so it was
much against my wishes when my husband was persuaded by my father to
purchase a factory for him in Northern Ireland and then establish and
organize the new business. So from 1946, just after World War II, until
1964, I worked in the Province alongside my husband. Team building was
his specialty, and, because of his talent, we were able to steer quite a
happy ship through the always troubled waters of the British part of
Ireland. My husband taught me to respect other people's opinions,
whatever their class, colour, creed or country, regardless of whether
one actually liked or agreed with them or not and I believe I taught him
that the female of the species is often a lot more intuitive than the
male! The Irish branch of the Wade Group of Potteries was established
purely for the manufacture of electrical porcelain insulators. The
highly technical making of these had no artistic appeal or interest for
me, but very soon after we arrived in what turned out be an unexpectedly
foreign country, we were hit by an almighty slump. New housing came to a
standstill, government contracts were cancelled, it was depression time
again, especially for people whose hopes had so recently been raised. In
Northern Ireland, brand new machinery stood idle. 'Could we possibly use
it to make something ornamental, like the little animals I had in a
Noah's Ark as a child?' I inquired tentatively. The gathering of snooty
English top executives from the parent company's various branches raised
their eyes to heaven and sighed collectively, obviously wishing that the
bosses' daughter, wife and sister had stayed home. I quailed, but
suddenly 'Pourquois Pas?' beamed my father! 'Why Not?' echoed my husband
and brother, Tony. And so, through the naivety and ignorance of Wade's
newest, brashest associate, we hit on a product that restarted our
industrial engines and which every child in the UK wanted to collect."
"They were christened Whimsies and were all stamped 'Wade, England' to
the great umbrage of the Irish plant, which had been rescued from near
oblivion by making the even numbered sets. Teams of teenagers sat at
conveyor belts. One applied colour to one side, another coloured the
next side, another the base and so on. Sometimes there were teams of
four or five girls per miniature, the last one especially chosen for her
tiny hands, to put in the tiny eyes! They sang as they painted. They
were happy. One former 'teen' now in her sixties wrote when my husband
died, to send me photos of figurines she'd painted over the years. 'How
I loved my job when you two were there. We all loved our work so much
that even if we had the flu we wouldn't take time off. It was the best
factory in Ireland!"

With Henry Straker Carryer as Managing Director and his wife Iris, Art
Director, high quality gift ware, now extremely collectable, teemed out
of the factory for a period of some fourteen of their seventeen year
stay in Northern Ireland. From the early days the factory was a success,
so much so that on 2nd January 1950 it became a private limited company
called Wade (Ulster) Ltd.

It was the time of the coronation of Elizabeth II and Wade (Ulster) LTD,
like many other potteries, decided to throw themselves wholeheartedly
into producing gift ware to commemorate the event. There is a famous
story of the wrong glaze mixing being responsible for the now well known
"Irish" look to the products, but this was an unintentional bonus and
made the product unique. With the success of the coronation gift ware,
other products were introduced, much of it in the distinctive green/blue
Irish glaze which is easily identifiable. The huge amount of gift ware
produced at the Portadown factory over the years was all made with a
great deal of affection for the finished product which is evident in
everything they made. Each little piece, whether a simple vase or dish
or the highly sought after alphabet train, which was also made at the
factory, was made with a dedication second to none (with perhaps the
notable exception of Hagen-Renaker of the USA).

A variety of back stamps were used during this period including Irish
Porcelain, Made in Ireland by Wade , Co. Armagh; Shamrock Pottery, Made
in Ireland; A Moko Line by Wade, Ireland; Celtic Porcelain by Wade,
Ireland and a number of other combinations, indeed at one stage no back
stamp was used! This situation arose because a lot of the production at
the Wade (Ireland) factory was for the Wade, England company and
therefore carried the Wade, England backstamp, a situation which
infuriated Iris Carryer as she described above. This came to a head when
the parent factory in Burslem ordered Irish Leprechauns with a Wade,
England back stamp. Sir George's daughter felt that items made at her
factory should carry an Irish back stamp and an Irish Leprechaun most
certainly was not going to leave the factory with Wade, England on it!
Until a compromise could be reached, figures left the factory minus any
markings. Iris won the day and thereafter all figures were clearly
marked, although Ireland continued to produce a substantial amount of
Wade, England gift ware. Iris, with her background in ceramics, had
always admired the intricate workmanship and good value of the H.R brand
and was of the opinion that the product sold itself. It was at this time
that she became good friends with Maxine Renaker, wife of the then
president of the company, and her daughter Susan (now president of
Hagen-Renaker), a friendship which continues to this day although Iris
has long since ceased to represent the company. It was also through this
connection with Hagen-Renaker that Wade (Ulster) LTD came to produce
wall plaques. Following discussions with Iris Carryer, Maxine Renaker
sent some molds to the Portadown factory where it was hoped that Wade
could produce them in porcelain. This however became something of a
nightmare as during the cooling process, after being removed from the
kiln they cracked. As Iris explained to me, "It was awful, Ping, ping,
ping! They were all cracking as they cooled down." This was due to
stress on the porcelain which, as it cooled, had the effect of pulling
it apart and thus the cracks appeared. None of the Wade wall plaques
ever went into general production and few were ever sold, however, those
that do exist, realize extremely high prices at auction or when
privately offered for sale. Those known to exist all carry the Wade, CO
Armagh backstamp

Henry Straker Carryer and Iris ran the Wade, (Ulster) plant until 1964
when they decided to realise their dream and move to California. For
some years after their arrival in the USA they were Southern California
representatives for Hagen-Renaker Potteries whilst still keeping their
business eye open for Wade. Indeed, it was Iris Carryer who commissioned
the Painted Ladies (San Francisco houses) under the name of Carryer
Craft of California as well as the San Francisco cable car. It was part
time employment in the first years of their retirement and they loved
it.

Iris continues to live in California where every day seems to be like a
beautiful English summer's day. She writes a lot, reminiscences of her
long life, interesting events and people she has known and has been
featured a number of times recently on Home Truths for the BBC.
Following a visit to her at her home, we correspond a lot now, me
inquiring, she recalling - as clearly as if the events were yesterday
instead of many years ago. I recently asked her if she had ever met
Clarice Cliff. "Met her," she replied "I remember the swishing hem of
her long black dress, the orange, jade green, royal blue and yellow of
the numerous chiffon scarves that rainbowed round her slender neck and
floated yards behind her until they almost tangled with the boring beige
tweeds and twin sets of the rainy morning shoppers in our dreary
Staffordshire market town. I remember her hat, large, black and
smothered in scarlet poppies. I was thirteen years old. Who is that I
asked my mother? " "That my dear is Clarice Cliff," she replied,"Looking
every inch like her products, Bizarre indeed!" I am glad I asked Iris
that question!

Now a widow in her 80's, Iris Carryer remains a person of great wit and
intellect whose years have not diminished her joie de vivre - long may
she remain so.